I haven’t passed comment on our now more than a year old moderation and commenting policies. I haven’t commented for a reason…there is no need to comment, I am happy with the results despite more than a few detractors who are now junking up other people’s sites.

But people have noticed, and here is one reader who has sent in his comments about the difference between comments on my site vs the mainstream media.

Yesterday¬†I read two articles on the same subject – Helen Clark and her ambition to lead the UN, one on Whale Oil the other on TV3’s site.

No surprises in the content of the articles, but it was the comments sections¬†which I though gave¬†a very¬†interesting insight on the whole perception of Whale¬†Oil versus MSM scenario.

Often Whale Oil is portrayed as the nasty attack Blog with the lowest (or no) standards and the MSM the defender of standards and arbitrators of what is right.

Here are¬† random shots of both sites comments section where I could include at least three commentators¬†who¬†responded to a different point of view¬†– the difference is stark.

I am betting If you¬†asked a non Whale Oil reader who has been subjected to the anti Whale Oil propaganda they would be extremely surprised at the result.

TV3 has it so wrong on so many fronts it doesn’t need pointing out – they should actually close comments on their site if they cannot keep them to a reasonable standard.

This is why Whale oil continues to fight and win the good fights. ¬† Read more »

Janet Wilson has had her annual whinge about all the “tits and teeth” on television.

In her blog Adjust Your Set, former reporter Janet Wilson gives rival stations and her old bosses TVNZ and TV3 a serve, saying they are guilty of hiring pretty, young females for their looks and not their news-sense.

“They’re not there because they can do the job better than anyone else; sniff a story out at ten paces or craft a yarn that makes us think,” said Wilson.

“They’re there because they simply LOOK good. Try contrasting that with female reporters in the American networks who aren’t considered up-to-speed journalistically until they’re approaching middle-age.”

Just one TVNZ reporter, Christchurch-based Charlotte Bellis, who was schooled in journalism in the United States, escapes Wilson’s tirade.

Bellis, Wilson says, “seems to have got off her chuff and stopped the tits-and-teeth smirking and got out there and told me something I hadn’t heard before … after all, it is news.”

“The rest belong to that inglorious group, the Pick Me Tribe. These are the prancers who endlessly pick up stories from the front page of that day’s Herald and simperingly regurgitate it on camera.”

I have to admit, it’s not a headline I expect to see relating to our media and its accomplices. ¬†But I truly can’t see the difference between the News of the World hacking/media involvement, and the Political parties/Rawshark/Whaledump/Media involvement here.

A former News of the World news editor has been jailed for eight months after admitting involvement in phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s now defunct tabloid newspaper.

Ian Edmondson had been a defendant in the trial of former News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, but was excused due to ill health.

Before he could stand trial again, Edmondson pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to hack the phones of a host of public figures between October 2000 and August 2006.

Notice that he didn’t do the hacking himself. ¬†In that sense, Rawshark may even get away with it. ¬†But he was found guilty of conspiracy. ¬† Now that, my dear readers, casts a wide net here in New Zealand when you look through the cast list behind Dirty Politics. Read more »

I have found watching the ratings between Campbell Live and Seven Sharp incredibly frustrating. Last year, for the first time, TV3 looked competitive at 7pm as TVNZ attempted to revamp their current affairs offering causing viewers to either switch over or switch off. On multiple occasions, John Campbell and his team drew in higher average audiences and looked to be on track to turn the tables on TVNZ who have dominated TV3 with a seemingly stranglehold on 7pm. Sadly, when TVNZ made changes again at the start of 2014, viewers abandoned Campbell Live in favour of the refreshed offering on One. Only once this year has TV3 come within a breath of having a higher average audience and that was back in February. Since then, it’s been one way traffic.

Most would agree that John Campbell’s approach to current affairs comes from a genuine place of advocacy. He’s also very passionate about it. I doubt anyone believes John isn’t genuine in his desire to help New Zealanders who are less fortunate but looking at the ratings, there seems to be a disconnect somewhere.

The Letter just came in and among some of the more amusing items (ACT has a strong brand?), these items deserve a wider audience?

TVNZ, TV3 and state radio called this election wrong.

The credibility of our news services has taken a huge hit.

Night after night TV and radio told us John Key was a liar.

First ‚ÄúDirty politics‚ÄĚ and then claims of mass surveillance were given not just top billing but saturation coverage.

The news blogs are going to be the big winners.

This election has been the clearest example yet of the main stream media picking a winner and doing everything they could to make it happen. ¬†Radio New Zealand, TV3 and the NZ Herald had nailed their colours to the mast for such a long time, changing gear was no longer possible once they realised they were backing the wrong horse.

Sadly, it’s been seen as a left v right issue, when it’s really been a right v wrong issue. ¬†By picking sides, and as it turned out, very much the losing side, these media organisations have lost customers and credibility.

Look at the numbers for Campbell Live since Hosking joined Seven Sharp.

Look at the NZ Herald subscription numbers while they are desperately trying to push others out at cost to keep their numbers up.

Viewers are turning off. ¬†Paywalls have been postponed. ¬† Read more »

And he appeared to have found his voice again, after he reportedly lost it following yesterday’s court action, with a Conservatives spokeswoman telling Newstalk ZB he was unable to comment last night because he had lost his voice.

I thought lying was a sin? ¬† Oh, hang on, of course, he prayed to have his voice fixed. ¬†That’s it. ¬† Read more »

He uses the law to try to silence critics, and now he has gone to court to bully TV3, a private company, to force them to have him on their minor party debate show.

Conservatives leader Colin Craig has won an eleventh-hour High Court scrap over his exclusion from a televised political debate.

TV3’s political show¬†The Nation¬†did not invite Mr Craig to a minor parties debate tomorrow morning, which will include the Green Party, New Zealand First, the Maori Party, Act, Mana and United Future.

Mr Craig filed urgent legal proceedings with the High Court at Auckland today and his application for an interim injunction to restrict the screening of the debate without him was heard this afternoon.

Justice Murray Gilbert sided with the Conservative Party leader saying any inconvenience to MediaWorks was outweighed by the public interest in having Mr Craig at the debate.

The debate cannot legally go ahead without his inclusion.

MediaWorks confirmed that rather than scrap tomorrow’s debate, they would include Mr Craig.

“We’ll have to somehow squeeze him in,” said director of news Mark Jennings.

But¬†The Nation’s¬†Tim Watkin said the production values of the show would suffer as a result.

Each political leader will get less than five minutes to speak because of the late inclusion, he said.

This, from “Karol” a long-time The Standard regular with deep links into the Green Party

Yesterday I said that the Green Party’s fingerprints were all over this sorry mess beyond Jan Logie.

Today, further proof that this is the Green Party using a young woman to score political points.

And we, I and you, are being told we’re the ones making things up here.

All that I’m trying to do here is hold up this end of the argument, which includes the fact that this is all arse backwards. ¬†We’re having an inquiry into a matter where the alleged criminal hasn’t even been charged, the public is being told via compliant media stooges that it’s all over bar the blame laying (on all men!), and to even dare question the veracity of what’s going on here is getting me labelled as uncaring and ¬†(no surprise) part of “the problem”.

When the left want you ¬†to STOP TALKING, when they want to take your most basic rights away – free speech, presumption of innocence – and then they tell you that you are the most despicable kind of person they can imagine, you know things are going wrong.

Here’s a typical email

Message: Your chastising of Tania Billingsley is revolting. It is veryclear that you do not have even a superficial understanding ofrape-culture. I really think you should refrain from offering anyopinion about this issue. Your facile and juvenile comments reflect aDEEP lack of education.

When I spoke out about people being ferals, they ganged up and threatened to gang rape my daughter, and you think I lack education? ¬†Or I lack a sense of how wrong rape is? ¬† Read more »

Police are continuing to support Tania who has recently applied to the court to vary the automatic name suppression given to her based on the charges involved. Police did not oppose this course of action as we wanted to support the wishes of the victim.

The process to facilitate Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail’s return to New Zealand is continuing with the support of MFAT.

As the matter remains before the courts, it is not appropriate for Police to make any comment about the circumstances of the offences.

We continue to encourage other commentators on this matter to be mindful of the potential implications on any legal process. Any speculation on the likely outcome of the prosecution process ahead of the alleged offender appearing before the court is premature, unhelpful and risks prejudicing any forthcoming judicial process.